


Cupcakes and Comeuppance

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:43:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1607225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We both moved on from this a long time ago.  We’re grownups, we can handle working together without falling into bed.  I can handle it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cupcakes and Comeuppance

**Author's Note:**

> I like going back to the beginning because then I don’t have to think about the end.

“I come bearing…oh hello.”

“Hi.” Edward Strauss stood on the other side of the door looking at the man. His face was familiar but Ted couldn’t place where he’d seen it. “Can I help you?”

“I'm here to see your mother.”

“Its late.” He made no effort to open the screen door.

“My timing has never been the best.” Dave said. “May I come in?”

Ted nodded, finally opening the door. Dave hadn’t seen him for a long time; he was seventeen now. With his blonde hair and blue-green eyes he was the spitting image of his mother. In his track pants and faded Jay-Z tee shirt, he looked like nearly every other suburban teenager.

“Who may I tell her is here?” Ted asked.

“David Rossi.”

“I thought I recognized your face. I've read some of your books.”

“Did you enjoy them?”

“I did…the Manson Family one is my favorite. You know what you're talking about and you're a good writer. Sometimes experts can't get their heads out of their bums long enough to make the subject understandable to the average person. You're a reader’s writer. I used _Deviance_ for my final Psych paper last year.”

“High school kids take psych classes now?” Dave asked. 

“I'm on the AP Social Science track at school. I want to study political science and journalism in college.”

“What are your top three schools?”

“Columbia, Brown, and American.” Ted replied. “I'm hoping to get into all three but I'm still working on applications and essays.”

“I haven’t seen you in such a long time; I think you were about seven the last time. You’ve grown up well so your parents must be proud.”

“When they're not constantly asking me questions about my social life, checking to see if I'm hooked on drugs, porn, or thinking about shooting up my school yeah…they're pretty proud. I’ll get my mom.”

Dave nodded, clearing his throat as he watched Ted go up the stairs. He never would’ve stopped by unannounced if he’d remembered Ted. The seventeen year old floated between his mother’s house in Chevy Chase and his father’s DC condo. Dave didn’t expect him to be there tonight. Here he was doing something spontaneous and the results were definitely mixed. 

Nothing brought the idea of romance to a grinding halt faster than kids. When he called Erin earlier, she gave him the impression that seeing each other again wasn’t the best idea. She’d been doing that for several months now. Dave heard what her mouth said but her tone conveyed something different. Erin had every right to be apprehensive…Dave Rossi could be a roller coaster ride. 

He wasn’t trying to push her into something she didn’t want. The chemistry had crackled between them since his return to the BAU. The chemistry always crackled between them. Then there would be an explosion and both parties slinked away nursing third degree burns. Still, like Icarus flying too close to the sun, Dave couldn’t help himself. Something drew him to his old flame and he was tired of having more questions than answers.

“What are you doing here?”

The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts. She looked amazing in red pajama pants and a pink camisole. Her blonde hair was pulled up and away from her face, which was makeup free. There was suddenly more tension and less air in the room. Erin’s body language screamed defensive.

“I thought you might want cupcakes.” Dave gave a little smile as he held up the bag. “I remember how much you used to love them.”

“You brought my cupcakes at ten o’clock at night?” Erin raised her eyebrow.

“I concede that my timing could’ve been better.”

“I don’t do booty calls, Rossi.” She crossed her arms. “I surely don’t do booty calls with my youngest child upstairs.”

“I wasn’t expecting Ted to be here and I wasn’t thinking about a booty call. I just wanted to bring you something nice because I know you had a stressful day. And you left without saying goodbye.”

“That was nearly a week ago. I didn’t want to wake you. Dave, it was…” Erin sighed. “It was a moment of weakness.”

“We've had our share lately.” He said.

“Just because you fall down doesn’t mean you should just lie there on the ground. I'm getting up; I'm walking away.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

“We both moved on from this a long time ago. We’re grownups, we can handle working together without falling into bed. I can handle it.”

“I just wish you wouldn’t, Erin.”

“Why?” she asked, exasperation clear in her voice. Erin didn’t want to be mad at him. She was also a little tired of being mad at herself. Something had to give. Feeling this upside down made her nauseous.

“I kinda like you baby. And I brought you cupcakes.”

“You mentioned that already.”

“Not the first part,” Dave shook his head. “I mentioned the second part but thought it was worth repeating. The first part is pretty important as well.”

“You can't just have something because you want it, David. You always do this you know. You woo me. You had your chance, you screwed it up, we hated each other, and then every time I saw you, you still wooed me. It’s like a sick kind of fixation with you. I think you should profile that.”

“C'mon Erin, just seriously tell me that you want me to leave you alone and I will. I think you're feeling a lot of the same things I am. Maybe that confuses you…maybe it pisses you off. That doesn’t mean we can't make something out of it.”

“I really appreciate the cupcakes.” She stepped forward and took the bag. “I do not appreciate the violation of my personal space.”

“I'm sorry. I mean that.”

“I don’t know how I feel, and that’s the truth. There are so many things going on in my life at the moment and I won't be pressured by you acting like a high school kid with blue balls. I don’t find that attractive; I find it annoying and troublesome. If we do this, and I'm not saying that we will, but if we do you're going to have to learn some boundaries. Pressuring me isn’t going to help me cave, David. It’s going to make me attack.”

“I apologize.” Dave tried to sound as sincere as he felt. He didn’t always succeed with that. “I know you probably don’t believe me but it’s true. Instead of reinforcing it with supposedly gallant acts…”

“I'm not sure if you know how to do anything else.” Erin cracked the slightest smile.

“I'm a grand gesture kind of guy. But I’ll say goodnight now and I will never come to your house uninvited again. I won't push or pressure you; it’s unbecoming.”

“Maybe we can have brunch on Sunday and further discuss the terms of the peace accord.”

“The Jefferson Hotel has the best brunch in the capital.” He said. “If you'll allow me to spend entirely too much money on you, which I'm happy to do.”

“We’ll split it 50-50.”

“Erin…”

“50-50 or nothing, David.”

“I haven’t gone dutch on a date since Reagan was in office.” he said.

“I think you need a friendly reminder that I can carry my own weight. I don’t need, nor want, to be swept off my feet.”

“Dutch is good.”

“Now get out.”

“I hope you enjoy your cupcakes.”

“That was nice of you.” Erin said. “What kind are they?”

“Snickerdoodle with cinnamon buttercream frosting. I know red velvet is your favorite but it was late and they were out.”

“Are you kidding me? Snickerdoodle cupcakes?”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“I've never had them before.” Erin said.

“Enjoy.” Dave walked over to the door and opened it. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Not before.”

“Not before.” He repeated.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Erin walked over and opened the door for him. Her hand was on top of his; she felt the energy rush through her. She moved out of the way to keep from kissing him. Sighing, Erin opened the door and let Dave out. He gave her one more wave before walking out of the screen door and down the driveway. 

As she closed the door, Erin leaned on it and closed her eyes. She wanted to hate him; wanted to hate him so much. But the truth is she’d let so much of the bad blood and animosity go a long time ago. When he first called her about returning to the BAU it seemed as if Rossi hadn’t. It didn’t take long for them to fall right back into the same cycle of loving and hating. 

Erin wasn’t a young starling anymore. She was a grown woman who sometimes ate men like David Rossi for breakfast. There was no need to impress him or make sure he liked her or to see herself through his eyes. Except that Erin always felt like that eager young woman in his presence. That was why she kept pushing him away…that woman didn’t exist anymore. To bring her back would minimize the fire Erin walked through to wash her away in the first place.

“He brought you cupcakes.” Ted said. He was standing on the landing.

“Yeah.” Erin opened her eyes and looked at her son.

“What kind are they?”

“Snickerdoodle.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“I've never had a snickerdoodle cupcake before.”

“Me neither.”

“Do you wanna share?” when he smiled he looked even more like Erin.

“I'm seriously considering it.”

“Is Dave Rossi your boyfriend?” Ted asked.

“Absolutely not.” Erin shook her head.

“I was just gonna say I'm OK with it. Not that I get a say in these kinds of things but I already knew you and Dad weren’t getting back together. I want you to do what makes you happy.”

“Maybe if we stuff ourselves on cupcakes we won't have to talk about it.”

“I'm game if you are…for now.”

“For now it sounds like just what I need to do.”

***


End file.
